You’ll find memorials and tributes to the Confederacy all across the American South. (And, given the rise of flags and truck decals, all over the rest of the country, too.)

But as demographics shift, and time passes, those monuments and the ideology they can represent becomes more unappealing for a wide array of people. And that means controversy. New Orleans just removed a Robert E. Lee statue in May, the culmination of a lengthy debate. Asheville, one of the more progressive cities in North Carolina, is in the middle of a similar discussion right now.

And Tampa is also considering removing a Confederate monument from the downtown area. Efforts to do so may have just gotten a boost, as the Rays came out in support of the removal, according to this Tampa Bay Times story:

The Tampa Bay Rays are in favor of removing a 106-year-old Confederate monument from its current location in downtown Tampa, the baseball team told the Tampa Bay Times on Friday.

It’s a stance that Hillsborough County officials will be forced to consider, as it’s no secret many of them want to see the Rays move to Tampa.

A statement to the Times attributed to the Rays organization said the team has “long supported and are committed to diversity and inclusion.”

“We understand and believe that these decisions belong in the hands of elected officials,” the statement said. “At the same time, we are supportive of its removal from the courthouse.”

The effort to remove it came up a vote short at the last county commissioners meeting, but it looks like that might change the next time it comes to a vote:

An effort to remove the Confederate statue, called Memoria in Aeterna, lost by one vote last month at a Hillsborough County Commission meeting. But Commissioner Les Miller said he will bring it up again at the July 19 meeting, and at least one of the prevailing commissioners is now open to moving the statue.

Other Tampa area teams have not weighed in on the issue, but the Rays might be enough to sway some of the voters on the board. As the Times mentions, they’ve been trying to lure the Rays to downtown Tampa from their dilapidated park in St. Petersburg.

Often, these monuments are defended by a “southern history and heritage” defense. It’s not racist, you see, it’s just an area celebrating its past and culture. And, hey, maybe in some very specific instances, that can be valid.

But if you’re wondering in what spirit this statue was erected:

It is the oldest statue in Tampa and its unveiling drew 5,000 when the city was still a small port town.

At the monument’s dedication, 50 years after the start of the Civil War, the keynote speaker called African Americans an “ignorant and inferior race.”

The next commissioners meeting is less than two weeks away, and removal could be voted on that quickly.

[Tampa Bay Times]

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.